The Virtual Life

Escapism and Simulation in Our Media World

By: Andrew Evans

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Paperback | 1 May 2003

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288 Pages

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21.59 x 13.97 x 1.91

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As the media becomes more sophisticated and lifelike, we spend more and more time in front of television screens. Distinguished psychologist Andrew Evans examines this warping of reality, and asks where such a path will lead us. The 21st century presents serious challenges to us all. However, our children are growing up thinking the world can be saved by super-heroes, crashed planes start again at the flick of a switch and people come back to life for the next round. The author looks at the effects of this distortion of reality. Maybe our need to escape the boredom and routine of every day life is being exploited by the companies who make money by selling us fantasy and simulation. From humour and comedy, to science fiction and computer games, Evans examines the variety of distractions available to take our minds off the daily grind. But how does this new media affect today's children? What will be their future tomorrow? And have we become so reliant on escapist fantasy that reality can no longer be faced?

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Foreword	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
This Virtual Life
Perception and Representation	p. 7
Perception	p. 8
Illusion, magic and the paranormal	p. 18
Representation in the arts and the media	p. 23
The false world of fame	p. 27
Reality, Deception and Spin	p. 31
Reality TV	p. 32
Truth, lies and deception	p. 37
Spin in politics	p. 42
Spin in the media	p. 48
Escapism
What is Escapism?	p. 53
Definitions of escapism	p. 53
What is this 'reality' we are escaping from?	p. 56
What are the popular escapist activities?	p. 58
Our hierarchy of needs	p. 65
Escapism, transcendence and escape	p. 67
What motivates escapism?	p. 70
Healthy and Unhealthy Escapism	p. 73
'Flight from reality'	p. 74
Positive uses of escapism	p. 75
Escapism in psychology and psychoanalysis	p. 77
Escapism and pastimes--how we structure time	p. 79
Escapism as denial	p. 80
Unhealthy escapism--the addictions	p. 81
What Defines the Escapist?	p. 93
Defining the 'escapist'	p. 94
Escapism and creativity	p. 100
Escapism and procrastination	p. 102
Escapism and romance	p. 105
Victims of new technology	p. 106
Male-female differences	p. 106
A typical escapist profile	p. 108
Escapism in the Arts and the Media	p. 109
Escapism in film	p. 110
Escape through humour	p. 113
Escapism in literature--from Don Quixote to Catch-22	p. 119
Simulation
Simulation and Creativity in Human Evolution	p. 143
Imagination, the double-edged sword	p. 144
Incubation in creativity	p. 146
Science fiction	p. 148
Robots and androids	p. 152
Cyborgs	p. 155
Expert systems and simulated worlds	p. 156
Artificial intelligence	p. 158
The new genetics--cloning, biotechnology, genetic modification	p. 162
Games	p. 164
Historic contests	p. 164
Games as simulations of aggression	p. 166
Games and pastimes	p. 167
Computer and video games	p. 170
Positive uses of games	p. 172
Video games and aggression	p. 173
Other effects of video and computer games	p. 175
Games and film	p. 177
Death in games	p. 179
The future of computer games	p. 181
From Cartoon to Virtual Reality	p. 183
Puppets and cartoons	p. 186
Computer graphics and animation	p. 186
Virtual Environments (VEs)	p. 188
Avatars--cyber androids	p. 189
Virtual reality	p. 193
The Net	p. 205
Computer phobia	p. 206
The N-Generation	p. 209
Internet addiction	p. 210
Literature on the Net	p. 214
The sociology of the Net	p. 215
Online sex	p. 216
The expanding Net--convergence and new media	p. 218
Into the Future--The knotty problems of cyberspace	p. 226
Utopia or dystopia?	p. 227
Virtual workplaces and teleworking	p. 234
Cultural impacts of new technology	p. 237
Privacy and surveillance	p. 239
A cyberculture underground?	p. 242
Individualism and the Net	p. 243
The Internet and the law	p. 244
Censorship of the new mass media	p. 246
What will be the effects of future technology on people?	p. 251
References	p. 258
Index	p. 269
About the Author	p. 275
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

The Virtual Life

Escapism and Simulation in Our Media World

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

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